The Learning Center visit

It was a very emotional and touching visit....I got to talk to couple of teacher I sat trough couple of classes and I watched the kids learning and interacting with each other....

here are some brief notes from my visit to this autistic learning center:

·         Usually students should be on time, if they’re late and the activities have already started they get frustrated.

·         Kids in the same centre are divided in 3 groups. Early ages (5 years old) which are the most sever ones and hard to manage and control. Then kids between the ages of 6~7 to 10 years old and at last kids between the ages of 10 to 18 years old.

·         Classes are usually contained 5 people or less.

·         The space is very calm and quite at all the time.

·         Most walls are white colored with the splashes of sharp colors. The classes are also known by their colors.

·         Signage is an important thing since the kids have verbal issues. Like: bathroom sign is in reach of kids so they point at it whenever they need to go.

·         The verbal issue that most kids bring them the need to have a verbal trainer and therapist.

·         In private classes in where the most of education takes place. Usually they teach them with puzzles and traces. For example: if they want to teach them the Numbers, first the kid makes a puzzle of that number then on another paper kid trace the numbers and then they try to write it on their own.

·         There’s also treating and gifting involve. Whenever the kids do something right they get a star or a treat. Even for small accomplishments.

·         The most of controlling is via singing a song or making noises so that they get the kid’s attention.

·         Kids usually making noises or humming.

·         Unlike normal schools for different subjects kids don’t change the classroom, usually they’re in the same classroom and the teachers change. This is due to the fact that kids are already familiar with the space and they don’t need to explore it.